The sensations of stimulus, known as "De Qi" in Chinese, will feel different for different people. While some describe it as a heavy sensation, others will say they feel a tightness or warmth or even a sense of flow. Once the needles are in many report a sense of deep relaxation.

You may feel a little uncomfortable at times but it should not be painful. If you do experience pain, it is important to tell your practitioner. Most people do not bleed, although occasionally you might experience a few drops of blood immediately after removal of the needles. Some people experience light bruising at some acupuncture points. It is important to tell your practitioner if you feel more than slight discomfort either at the clinic during treatment or afterwards. We encourage you not to wait until your next appointment to report any concerns - call the clinic if you are ever unsure.

Yes you can! Most people feel very little sensation on insertion of the super-fine needles and some needle phobics are okay with traditional acupuncture.

By and large yes. You can have a massage, play sports or go to the gym. Some people may want to take it a bit easier with strenuous activity. However should you experience any pain or unexpected symptoms, discontinue the activity and let us know. It is advisable to wait a day or two following needle acupuncture before giving blood. Otherwise, stay warm and drink plenty of fluids (not alcohol or strong caffeine drinks).

We ask you what medications you are taking on your patient intake form. Please keep us up to date with any changes. There is no adverse reactions between Acupuncture and medications but if you are also using herbal medicine we need to take that into account when putting together your formulas.

No you don't have to get naked! It is best to wear comfortable, loose fitting shirts and pants. Depending on your condition we might need to insert needles in shoulders, backs, legs, etc., so loose fitting roll-up-able separates are the best option.

Everyone's experience with Acupuncture is different. There is no 'usual' response as such. Some people report quite a significant lowering of pain/ symptom level while others will have a less significant change. In some cases the pain/symptom disappears completely with the first treatment but that is not particularly common and is not generally sustained for very long. The ideal response is to have a lowering of pain/ symptom which then stays at that level for the following 2-5 days, then with each successive treatment the pain or symptom is lowered further until there is no pain or discomfort at all. Initially we like to book weekly appointments for most patients. For severe cases it may be slightly more often in the initial stages. Once the level of pain or symptoms is lowered consistently and for longer periods we can move to fortnightly or monthly appointments until there are no symptoms at all.

Our herb supplier is an Australian company offering Australian Certified Organic and AAA Grade herbs. They source the purest, highest quality and most potent herbs available worldwide and the herbs are tested.

In a word, no. As every patient is different, some respond to treatments quicker than others. As much as we love our patients, we aren't going to ask you to keep coming to appointments if you don't need them. Having blocks of appointments really is the antithesis of everything we believe about individualised care.

Your first appointment is allotted a double timeslot to ensure a thorough understanding of your condition and health history. Following this consultation, you can decide whether acupuncture or herbal medicine is right for you and the relevant treatment undertaken. Initial consultations with traditional needle acupuncture are $210. Initial consultations with a week of herbal medicine are $250. Returning patients pay $105 for traditional needle acupuncture, and $140 for herbal medicine. Please contact us for further details on other treatments and programs we offer.

We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard and eftpos.

Quite possibly! Many funds will cover acupuncture appointments but it all depends on your health insurance provider and your level of cover. We have no way of knowing until we process the transaction so please contact your provider for further clarification. Dr Ian is registered with all the major health funds and we have a HICAPS machine to process your claims on the spot.

We allow a full hour for your initial appointment. This allows time for a thorough consultation for you to tell us your symptoms without feeling rushed. We compile a comprehensive picture of your current condition before presenting options for moving forward. You may choose to have an acupuncture treatment, opt for a herbal medicine approach or a combination there of. Herbs will be formulated especially for you based on the information gathered during your consultation. They will be made up into capsules for you to take home from the appointment. Every patient is different, but typically, you could expect to come for appointments weekly in the initial stages. As your conditions improves for longer stretches between appointments this stretches to fortnightly, monthly etc until you no longer require them. For some patients and conditions this means they only need a few appointments while other people may respond less rapidly or have long term chronic health issues which may require longer term appointments.

The clinic is open by appointment only. We would encourage you to book a few weeks in advance to ensure you receive your preferred time slot.

We are located at 40A Risby St, Ulverstone in North-West Tasmania. There are parking spaces at the front of the building and plenty of on-street parking as well.

We follow the ESCS (The Traditional Chinese Medicine Endangered Species Certification Scheme) which is administered by the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association (AACMA) in association with the Australian Government Department of Environment. We make a conscious decision to source as much as we can locally and ethically produced product. In addition we make conscious choices to reduce, reuse and recycle within the confines of Practice health and safety. Our Sagire shop stocks a range of eco-friendly products we use and recommend.